


Love in Low Orbit

by LotusRootsAndBambooShoots



Category: Xenoblade Chronicles 2 (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, F/M, Immediately Pre-Final Battle, Romance, VERY brief Panzeke, Very Late Game Spoilers, pre-polyamory
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-05
Updated: 2020-08-05
Packaged: 2021-03-06 00:47:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,074
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25724617
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LotusRootsAndBambooShoots/pseuds/LotusRootsAndBambooShoots
Summary: Just before the final battle, Nia first reflects on how her thoughts on Rex have changed, before having one last moment alone with him, leading to an exchange she didn't expect.
Relationships: Hikari | Mythra/Homura | Pyra/Nia/Rex, Nia/Rex (Xenoblade Chronicles 2)
Comments: 11
Kudos: 62





	Love in Low Orbit

The first time Nia had ever seen Rex, she had no idea that the scrawny kid in a salvage suit a size too big for him that she saw would grow to be so… great.

Not in stature, mind you. He was as short as ever all these months later. Maybe an inch or two... But no, if you had told Nia then what she now knew to be fact, that the short kid with the odd Leftherian-Argentum accent that the Chairman insisted was perfect for the job would become a hero that made the legendary Addam look lacking… well, she'd have probably assumed you got into some red pollen orbs at best.

Higher above Alrest than she even knew existed, beyond the World Tree itself, Nia gazed at Rex's form as he marched ahead of the rest of the team, leading them despite the presence of Mòrag and Zeke. As qualified as those two were… everyone knew it wasn’t just being the driver of the Aegis that put him in front.

The salvage suit that he had worn for much of their journey had gone, replaced with a striking suit of ether armour that Pyra and Mythra had given him when they ascended, a show of the limitless power and possibility they embodied as well as a symbol of his capability in being able to control and command it with such ease.

Addam hadn't been able to even hold the true Aegis Sword. Rex not only made it look easy… he proved he didn't need it in the first place.

At first, Nia had thought that Rex had grown over the course of their adventure. And in a way, he had… he wasn't nearly as naïve, he made his moves with more purpose… but in reality, it wasn't Rex that grew as much as it was her.

The first night that she and Rex had talked, in the crow’s nest of the Maelstrom, he had revealed to her his dream of finding Elysium and bringing Alrest's people there to live in peace, and she had laughed at the boy that still believed in fairy stories like that. When she first set foot into what had once been Elysium, she certainly wasn't laughing anymore. Sure, it was dead and decayed, but it was there. It was real. Rex had been right.

Nia had never really believed in the Architect, or Elysium, or anything else she couldn't see or touch. Rex had shown her those things, had shown her Elysium, and had taken her to meet the Architect and had gotten answers to questions that she had been brought up to accept as unanswerable.

Nia had long since accepted that Rex could worm his way into anyone's heart and change them for the better. She just never expected him to do the same to God Himself.

Yes, Rex hadn't changed that much at his core. It was her that had come to see the good that his way of thinking, his way of  _ doing  _ could do.

With the Colossus Hanger behind them, only a single huge gate stood between the party and Malos. He was cornered, with nowhere to run, and she understood that in the immediate future, one side was going to die. There would be no escape, no bloodless solution. Either Malos died or they all did.

Rex had stopped moving, and so had the rest of them. He stared for a moment at the gate, before turning to the team. “Guys, not to downplay the urgency, but… when we open that gate, there's no turning back. If there's anything to say… any last minute confessions or anything like that… well, this is the only chance we're getting.”

There was a quiet moment as everyone looked at everyone else. Zeke and Pandoria shared a significant look as the latter took the former's arm in her hands. Nia suppressed a smirk, they all knew what  _ that _ was about. As Pandy began to lead Zeke off for a bit of privacy, Nia turned to Pyra, expecting her to follow the other Blade’s lead… but Pyra was looking at her, and then suddenly, Rex was at her side. “Nia, can I have a moment?” He asked, and she gaped. This wasn't what she expected.

“Wh- me!? What about Pyra?” She sputtered, and both the Master Driver and Aegis shared a chuckle.

“Nia, there isn't anything unsaid between us anymore.” Pyra answered her. Ah, of course those two (or three) hadn’t waited. They probably got things out of the way back in Morytha after kicking Jin's arse. “We'll let you two have a moment,” Pyra finished, and she, Mòrag, Bridgid, Tora and Poppi stepped away, even Azurda fluttered out of Rex's helmet to alight on Pyra's shoulder, leaving Nia alone with Rex.

“Rex…” Nia started, “Isn't this more a time to spend with, ye know,  _ them?” _

“Whatdya mean? Shouldn't a Driver want to talk to his Blade alone sometimes?” He answered, that damn smile she has no defense against all over his stupid face.

And speaking of faces, hers had gone red. She still had a hard time keeping her emotions contained when she thought about being a Blade again after so long, about having a Driver, and one she loves.

Seconds after Rex spoke, a flash of ether transformed Nia from Gormotti to Blade, her long, ornate ears twitching with affection and excitement, something she just couldn't help doing around him. “W-well, your Blade's right ‘ere. What've ye got to say to her?”

She felt his hand curl around hers, and despite the bluster of her words, she gripped it like it was all that she had to hold onto. “You've been at my side the longest, you know. Longer than Pyra. I just… I guess I wanted to share the ending of this whole thing with the girl I shared the beginning with too.”

“Heh, I guess it was just us at the start, huh? Do ye remember the first time we really talked? Not the time in Bana's office, that time at night on that ship.”

“How could I forget? It was the first time I really shared my dream with someone. About going to Elysium.”

Nia winced. “And I told you it was stupid.”

“No, no!” Rex said, placatingly. “You weren't really wrong. All it turned out to be is just… a big sand pit. Nothing that can help anyone anymore.”

For the second time this conversation, Nia gaped. “You can _ not _ be serious, Rex. Elysium is-  _ was,  _ real. You were  _ right. _ You were right to believe in Elysium and the Architect.”

“Well yeah, but… there was nothing divine about any of this. The Architect was an old scientist with a ‘universe manifold’ whatever the hell that is. Elysium wasn't heaven, it was a habitat built in space by people like us with advanced technology. They were real, but not the way I thought they were… I wanted to bring people up here to live in peace without being afraid of the Titan under their feet dying and taking them down with it. Now, there's… there’s nowhere left to go.”

“Rex…” The wind had been taken out of Nia's sails. She had forgotten the true reason for Rex's dream, hadn't she? He didn't fight for glory, or for power. He just wanted people to be safe and live in peace without needing to fight over land and resources. Here she had been in awe of meeting the Architect, of seeing Elysium was real, and that blinded her to the fact that Rex had just had his long-held dream, the thought that had him gazing longingly at the World Tree so many nights, dashed and ruined.

Even if they won here, they would be returning to a world on life support. Only a small handful of aging continent-class Titans remained, and though they now knew where Titans came from, Torna had been working for some time to keep new ones from being born. It was likely that the current crop of Titans would be the last. Maybe not in any of their lifetimes, but soon enough.

It… wasn't fair. It wasn't fair that Rex had come all this way, done such great things, changed the lives and touched the hearts of so many people… and be forced to see for himself that his dream was dead. Nia's hand clenched around his and her other hand curled into a fist at her side, trembling.

“Then… then we'll just have to make a new Elysium!” She heard herself say.

“Wh… What?”

“Ye heard me!” She half-shouted, drawing a concerned glance from the still distant Pyra. “So what if Elysium is a dead wasteland? It's still got space, breathable air, and soil. We'll work that land over, plant new trees, bring up water, learn how the systems work… Tora can probably figure it out. We'll make it Elysium again… and then… then we can bring the people up. It's just a bit more work, is all.”

“Nia…”

“Or maybe we can build cities on the Cloud Sea. Big platforms with legs that go all the way down to Morytha. It might be a lot of work, either way, but we can't give up, Rex. You… you taught me that, you know. We can do it.”

Tears gathered at the edges of Rex's eyes as he stared, stunned at Nia's outburst. Without a word, she raised her free hand and gently wiped them away with her thumb. “There there, Rex. I’m sorry it all turned out this way, but it's not over yet. We can't have ye losing your heart, not now. And me especially, yeah?”

Rex raised his hand and gently took hold of Nia's wrist, lowering it and moving his hand into hers so that he now held both of her hands, hanging between them. “I get it, Nia. Don’t worry. I can keep going. But… i need you to be there with me.”

The cat smiled. “As if there's anywhere else I wanna be. You're stuck with me now, Rex.”

“Heh, that makes me happy. Ah, on that note… Nia, we can't wait much longer, but there's one last thing I need you to know.”

Shr had a feeling where this was going. “And wh-what's that?”

“It's about the Spirit Crucible. I didn't really give you an answer back then, did I?”

“Hey, don't worry about it. That wasn't a good time to be dropping something like that on you.”

“Well no, maybe not, but still. I could have done better than that. And I may not have a chance to answer you again, so… Nia-”

“Rex, you don't have to-”

“I  _ want _ to. Nia, I can't tell you I don't love Pyra and Mythra like that, cause I do, but I also love  _ you. _ I love you just as much as them, and in the same kind of way. I know it may not be appropriate, but I-  _ mmph! _ ”

Somewhere in the distance, Nia could hear what must be Bridgid gasp, as she aggressively pushed her lips against Rex's. His hands let go of hers, but immediately his arms found a new job encircling her in a strong, tight embrace. She felt one of his hands find the back of her head, entwining his fingers with her hair, cradling her head as if to hold her up, and if the weakness in her knees was anything to go by, he might just need to.

When they finally parted, she only pulled away enough to shift her position to lay her head on his shoulder, him not being tall enough to lay her head on his chest. “Rex, I don't mind sharin’. I love Pyra and Mythra both, and I always knew ye weren't gonna pick just one of ‘em. So… if it's okay with them too, then my answer is yes. Like I'd say anything else.”

Rex smiled. “Who do you think brought the idea up? I'd never have offered if they didn't already approve.” He leaned forward for another kiss, this one much shorter, with less passion but maybe even more love. “Come on. Malos is waiting… my Blade.”

Even now, knowing that Rex loved her back just like she loved him, and having kissed him twice, it was when he called her  _ his Blade _ that made her heart flutter the most. “I'm right by your side, my Driver. I'll never leave ye.”

**Author's Note:**

> I had wanted to write more Mythra right away, but what was supposed to be a drabble turned into all this. To be fair though I love Nia a lot as well. I also kind of wrote this as if part of the same timeline as my first Xenoblade fic, Amongst the Concrete.
> 
> I hope you liked this one, thank you for reading to the end! If you liked it, please do leave a comment! Sometimes when i feel like writing but just can't make myself do it I read comments that have been left on my fics and it makes me really feel up to writing. I was really blown away by the outpour of support for my first fic!


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